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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22767052">Safe Place</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Runadaemon/pseuds/Runadaemon'>Runadaemon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Animal Traits, Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Eating, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Hot Mess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Identity Reveal, Not Beta Read, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, marinette is safe place</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:29:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,816</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22767052</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Runadaemon/pseuds/Runadaemon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on llamagoddessofficial's post about kitties wanting their owners to watch them eat because they felt safer that way. So of course, I applied this logic to Chat Noir.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir &amp; Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>682</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Safe Place</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Unbetaed, feel free to point out errors. Written in less than 2 hours, so.... *shrugs*</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Your cat may want you to watch them eat in order to feel safe.”</p><p>Marinette read the article with a disbelieving frown. Surely this wasn’t why Chat Noir had been more and more insistent on eating with Ladybug. She thought back over the last week.</p><p>“But Milady, food just don’t seem APEELING without you.”</p><p>“Ladybug, can you please eat with me? I don’t mean like a date, I just want… comPUNy.”</p><p>“Milady, I brought these crosSAINTS, they’re DIVINE, or so I’ve heard. Wanna try one?”</p><p>“Marinette! Want to have some meat pies with me? For some reason I just don’t want to eat lately, but if you eat with me, maybe it’ll be yummier?”</p><p>Marinette had been increasingly worried by the strange insistence of Chat Noir when it was just Ladybug he was targeting, but lately he’d also been dropping in on Marinette. The strange thing was that he didn’t seem interested in what she (either Ladybug or Marinette) thought of the food, so much as he would glance at her to be sure she was watching him eat.</p><p>So Marinette watched him and eat worried. He scarfed the food down like a man starved, but insisted he was offered food all the time. He just ‘didn’t have an appetite if he wasn’t with Milady’. Marinette found that worrying enough, but then he’d started eating around Marinette as well. If things kept going at this rate, he might start to wonder why he was happy to eat in front of only two girls.</p><p>“Ah, Purrincess! So good of you to be here!” Marinette jumped and slammed her laptop closed. The bang startled Chat Noir and he tumbled down onto her bed from the skylight, landing on his back and looking down at her with an amused and surprised expression. “Did I surpurrise you, purrincess? I’m sorry. I got these yummy dumplings and thought of you.”</p><p>Chat Noir weakly waved some dumplings from her favorite Chinese restaurant at her from her bed, and she scrambled up. Those dumplings were prone to breaking, and she didn’t want stains on that cover! “Chat! Thanks! Lemme take those!” Marinette reached up, gently taking the bag from him and helping him to sit up in the process. She brought out a folding table and set it up for them to sit at, while Chat Noir watched with a happy expression.</p><p>“My FURiend recommended this place, but we couldn’t go together earlier this week,” Chat Noir offered. Once Marinette waved him down, he happily vaulted down, landing with a proud arm gesture in front of the chaise. Marinette gave him the applause he was asking for, and then sat in her office chair, letting Chat have the chaise.</p><p>“Mmmm,” Marinette closed her eyes and hummed. The dumplings were freshly made and every ingredient was perfectly simmered. Sometimes she thought these dumplings were better than her mom’s. Opening her eyes, she noticed Chat Noir staring at her, waiting.</p><p>“What?” Marinette asked blankly. Chat blinked, bent to take a bite, peeked at her once more, and then began eating in rapid, tiny bites. Marinette stared. Had he always eaten like a starving kitten? Every couple of bites, he double checked that Marinette was watching before he resumed eating, happily licking his lips and smiling at her happily.</p><p>“Ahh, food really does taste better together, doesn’t it?” Chat said, opening his third dumpling in less than two minutes. Marinette nibbled on her first dumpling thoughtfully. He was always saying that, and his manner of eating and the way he suggested eating alone felt really familiar. She felt like she’d seen this behavior before, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.</p><p>Marinette frowned down at the dumplings for a moment. “Did you try eating alone first tonight?” Marinette thoughtfully counted. They only offered these in increments of 3, and he’d opened the bag and set out 11 in total. At his silence, Marinette glanced up. Chat Noir looked horribly embarrassed, holding his dumpling so tight the filling was almost spilling out.</p><p>“Chat! Your dumpling!” Marinette cried. Chat Noir blinked down at the dumpling, glanced at her watching him, and scarfed it down in three giant bites. Marinette was pretty sure he didn’t even get the chance to taste it. As Chat started licking his claws in a nonchalant manner, he subtly flicked his gaze up to meet hers a few times, as though checking that she was paying attention. Marinette raised a warning eyebrow, and he sighed.</p><p>“Lately if I’m not with,” Chat frowned and paused thoughtfully. “Certain people, I just don’t feel like eating.” Marinette nodded, silently gesturing for him to continue, and he shifted uneasily. “I mean, I get hungry, but it feels like I’m in danger and I can’t really… eat?” He asked. Chat frowned at his food, then picked one up, checked that Marinette was watching, and resumed eating quickly but concisely.</p><p>Marinette felt a moment of foreboding, and decided not to ask who exactly he felt safe eating in front of. If he admitted it was only Ladybug and Marinette, that might make a connection in his brain that no one needed right now. Instead, Marinette smiled sweetly and picked up her second dumpling, watching him start on his fifth as she removed her liner.</p><p>“Thanks for trusting me to keep you safe,” Marinette offered. “And thanks for the dumplings. They’re my favorite.” Chat Noir flushed, silently eating and gave a small nod in response. Marinette beat down her mental ‘SO CUTE’ chant, and smiled, happy to be of help.</p><p>**************************************************************</p><p>The next week, Adrien asked Marinette to join him for lunch. Marinette stared at him with wide eyes. Normally, Adrien asked Nino to lunch, who then invited Alya, who invited Marinette. This was the first time Adrien had specifically asked Marinette to eat with him, and he hadn’t even glanced at Nino or Alya.</p><p>“Just the two of us?” Marinette tried to clarify. Adrien blinked, and then jumped.</p><p>“Oh! The more the merrier!” Adrien cried in a nervous voice. Nino and Alya stared at him, nonplussed. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, Marinette, I just wanted to eat with you.” Adrien’s voice was casual, but the pleading green eyes looking up at her from his desk beseechingly nearly sent her into cardiac arrest.</p><p>“Oh! Of, fouce- course! I’ll soihn! Join! You!” Marinette stuttered, closing her eyes in mortification. When she opened her eyes, Adrien was beaming up at her with a Cutie Honey Smile, and she thought it might just melt her. She refocused, looking at Alya and Nino, who both gave her shit-eating grins and shook their heads.</p><p>“Sorry girl, Nino and I have a date today! Enjoy your date!” Alya laughed as she dragged Nino away, both of them waving cheekily at the duo. Adrien waved them off happily, apparently missing the connotation. Marinette took his distraction to calm herself. He had a girlfriend, probably. She was too busy for dating, definitely. This was a friendly outing, yes. With a deep breath, Marinette focused back on Adrien.</p><p>Adrien, who was less than six inches away from her face, pouting at her with concern. “Are you okay, Marinette?” He asked softly. He was so close she felt his breath ghost across her lips. ‘What is happening’ Marinette thought to herself. Marinette took a step back, tripped on the stair, and was immediately caught by a familiar strong arm. “Whoa! I’ve got you, Princess!”</p><p>“Thanks, Ch-Adrien?!” Marinette squealed. Looking up into his green eyes, Marinette felt a suspicion forming. The way Adrien briefly froze cemented the suspicion, but he laughed and waved her off. Adrien helped her stand up, and grabbed her bag so casually it was like he’d been walking her home for weeks.</p><p>“Does Chat Noir call you Princess?” Adrien asked, in such a casual voice that Marinette was immediately suspicious. Glancing at him, she saw his cheek twitching as though he were holding back a grin. Marinette felt that suspicion taking roots, preventing her from dismissing it.</p><p>“Maybe.” Marinette responded noncommittally. “I’m sure he calls every girl Princess though,” She added on. She was rather curious as to what he would say. To her surprise he immediately looked scandalized and turned her to face him.</p><p>“What?! Of course not! Why would you ever think that?!” Adrien’s almost furious voice left Marinette shaken. Adrien’s green eyes felt electric in their intensity, staring down into Marinette’s eyes so passionately that Marinette was left breathless. She wasn’t sure if she was scared or falling in love right now, but passion looked amazing on Adrien.</p><p>“Um,” Marinette choked out. Adrien frowned down at her in concern before realizing how tightly he was holding her shoulders. Releasing her with a nervous laugh, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and turned them both in the direction of the restaurant he wanted to visit. Marinette silently followed along, listening to Adrien’s nervous chatter, and nodding.</p><p>“I thought we’d try this amazing sushi place. You’re good with raw fish, right?” Marinette nodded mindlessly. “Great! I think this place will be amazing! It’s got excellent reviews. I’ll treat you of course, since you’re keeping me company.” Marinette gave a wordless squeak, and Adrien squeezed her tighter in reassurance. “No, really, leave it to me! I want to treat you to anything you want. We’ll go all out, okay?” Marinette nodded again, already regretting her decision to join him for lunch, but unwilling to say so.</p><p>When they arrived, they were seated in a very private booth, out of sight of anyone else, and the menu had no prices next to the dishes. Marinette was torn between relief she wouldn’t be paying, and confusion at the very romantic choice of venue. Marinette flushed as she perused the menu. She didn’t often have sushi, so she really wasn’t sure what the cheap choices were. Glancing up at a happy Adrien, she bit her lip. It’d be really rude to pull out her phone to look up the cheap options.</p><p>“I don’t know much about sushi, Adrien. Can I leave ordering to you?” Marinette asked softly, tilting her head and peeking over her menu. Adrien glanced up at her with a smile, froze and then hid behind his menu for a minute. “A-Adrien?”</p><p>She thought she heard a growled “C-cuuuute,” but dismissed the idea. Surely if anyone at this table was cute enough to inspire growling, it’d be Adrien. Marinette gently patted her stomach cautiously. Maybe she’d just subconsciously started growling now. She’d been doing many things she could never have imagined a few years ago, so her stomach using words wasn’t the strangest thing she’d have done in recent memory.</p><p>Adrien popped up over the menu again with his model smile. Marinette frowned, sad to see a practiced expression on his face. “Yeah, leave it to me, Marinette! We can just do it small plate style, and try everything together!” As Adrien talked, his smile eased into the real one she loved so much, and Marinette slowly sank down until the menu hid her from view again.</p><p>Adrien was too cute. She was going to die. She never should have agreed to eat with him! A haughty cough from their waiter made her sit up straight. When the waiter looked down his long nose at her, she felt her spine straighten involuntarily. She was not going to be underestimated by a waiter, she was Marinette Dupain-Freaking-Cheng!</p><p>With a cool glance, she negligently offered her menu to the waiter, who took it with surprise. Marinette smiled smoothly at Adrien. “My dear friend here will order for both of us. Thank you.” Then Marinette sat still, watching Adrien blush and fumble through his words as he ordered dish after dish. If the waiter wasn’t writing with steadily growing respect, Marinette would have gaped at Adrien’s appetite.</p><p>As the waiter took Adrien’s menu with a respectful ‘Yes sir’ and left promptly, Marinette stared at Adrien with wide eyes. “Can we eat all of that?” She whispered. Adrien flushed.</p><p>“I’m sure we can manage.” Adrien shyly assured her. “Everything looks so tasty when I’m with you, I couldn’t help myself.” He admitted. Marinette nodded, feeling the roots dig in just a little deeper. They sat in silence for a few minutes, each one sneaking glances at the other, getting caught, and immediately looking away.</p><p>Finally Adrien couldn’t take it any longer, and he burst out with a random topic. “What do you think of Hawkmoth?” Marinette stared at him. Adrien laughed nervously. “I mean, yeah, villain, bane of Paris, terrible person, right?” Marinette nodded slowly.</p><p>“I guess, I just keep wondering what he’s doing all of this for. World domination? Fame? Glory? What does he want with the miraculous, you know?” Marinette chattered, slowly warming up to the topic. Adrien nodded along frantically.</p><p>“Right?! What’s he hoping to accomplish? What’s his wish? What is worth killing people over and over again like this?” Marinette leaned forward. Something about what he’d said struck a bell in her memory, but she was too interested to think about it right that minute.</p><p>“I know!” She exclaimed. “People have DIED, and been brought back and then died AGAIN. What could be worth all of that? Can you imagine if he succeeds, but only after killing scores of people? They’d all be dead, regardless of his wish, right?! Nothing should be worth that!” Adrien leaned closer, excited to talk about it.</p><p>“Exactly! Say he wants world domination; surely, SURELY people will rise up and crush him. We’re French! We do not go quietly into the night, we fill the sky with fireworks and keep marching!” Adrien’s impassioned response was cut off by an amused cough from their waiter. They both flushed and leaned back as he set soups down in front of them.</p><p>“Please enjoy.” The waiter murmured. Marinette gave him a strained smile, before picking up her spoon. Glancing up, she saw Adrien watching her, already holding a spoonful of soup to his mouth. When her eyes met his, he smiled and immediately lapped up the soup. Marinette’s eyes widened at the cute image, quickly looking away.</p><p>Marinette concentrated on her soup for a few minutes before a frustrated whine emerged. Looking around in confusion, she finally looked back at Adrien. His face immediately shifted from frustrated and needy to satisfied, and he resumed eating. Marinette mindlessly lapped soup into her mouth as she watched him.</p><p>Before they finished the soup, small plates of sushi began littering their table. Every piece Marinette reached for, Adrien reached for as well. They ate in unison, eyes locking on the other, Adrien watching Marinette watch him, and obviously preening and relaxing the longer she watched. Finally, Marinette couldn’t take it anymore.</p><p>“You damned cat.” She hissed. Adrien froze mid-bite, salmon sashimi hanging from his mouth like a comically orange tongue. “How did you figure it out?” She demanded. Adrien blinked at her blankly for a minute, rudely slurping up the sashimi with a satisfied lick of his lips. He tilted his head at her with an innocent expression of confusion, wordlessly asking what she meant.</p><p>Marinette glanced around to be sure the waiter was out of hearing range before whispering. “How did you figure out I’m Ladybug?!” The reaction was immediate. Adrien’s eyes widened, his pupils thinned to pinpricks, and his mouth popped open without a sound escaping.</p><p>“Shit, you didn’t figure it out.” Adrien minutely shook his head in the negative.</p><p>“Can you forget what I just said?” Adrien shook his head negatively once more. Marinette grimaced, while a grin grew across his face. “Please?” Adrien gleefully shook his head again.</p><p>“Bugaboo! Imagine meeting you here!” Adrien mischievously whispered, leaning as far forward as he could. Marinette immediately put her hand on his forehead and tried to playfully push him back.</p><p>“Nooo, get your fishy face away, you crazy kitty!” Adrien laughed. Marinette found herself smiling despite the adrenaline still coursing through her veins.</p><p>“Well, this explains a lot.” Adrien smiled dopily at her. Marinette blinked at him with a smile. “I’ve been eating in front of either Plagg or you for weeks now. So really, it was always you.” Marinette felt a flush rising.</p><p>“Well, I-”</p><p>“FINALLY!” Plagg burst out of Adrien’s bag, diving for the sashimi. “Fresh fish! Hiya Bug-girl!” Plagg slurped down two servings of sashimi in quick succession as Tikki emerged from Marinette’s purse after cautiously looking around. “Hiya Sweets,” Plagg offered. Tikki just sighed in irritation before scooping up the rice Plagg was eating around.</p><p>“Well, this isn’t how I ever imagined our reveal going, but I’m glad it’s you.” Marinette finished. Adrien looked at her with hearts in his eyes and finally sighed in relief. Marinette worked hard to control her breathing in the face of the adorable boy in front of her.</p><p>“Thank goodness it’s you.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you like this, please feel free to check out some of my other works, either here on AO3, or find me on tumblr (same username). Tumblr carries my silly posts/short fics, AO3 tends to carry my reasonable fics. Again, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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